


Maonniversary

by JosephThropp



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Anniversary, Candles, Comedy, Dinner, M/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Surprises, Zine: A Sheriff's Tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:40:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28884036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JosephThropp/pseuds/JosephThropp
Summary: In the days leading up to their anniversary, Mao Mao and Badgerclops can't help but notice Adorabat acting a little strangely. It almost seems like she might even be planning something.
Relationships: Badgerclops/Mao Mao Mao
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Maonniversary

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was a piece I did for a zine titled A Sheriff's Tale, focusing on Badgermao content! It was a thrill to be a part of, and I'm proud to have participated in my first zine! I'm especially glad that it supported a cause so near and dear to my heart, donating its profits to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute! A huge thank you to all who organized it. There was a delay between the zine release and posting because I had to deal with personal stuff that transpired in that time period. Here's a gentle reminder to tell the people in your life that you love them, and a sincere thanks for taking a look at this story! 
> 
> Also, here's a fun fact; Maonniversary was a placeholder name that I meant to change, only to forget about until I saw it printed in the zine two months later! Oh well, c'est la vie!

_ Almost another year behind us. Where does the time go? _   
  
The thought occurred to Mao Mao as he and Badgerclops rode the aerocycle back to HQ. Just a few days from now would be a few years out from that day in the tent, where he and his partner had given voice to those strange new feelings cropping up inside of them. They’d been messy and inexperienced back then, neither of them having been in a relationship before. Even back then, though, they’d both known they’d needed to say something.

It was difficult, and more than a little awkward, but they’d managed. Two outcasts that’d been sitting in a makeshift camp had found a place where they didn’t feel quite so strange, weak, or unappreciated. Not even a place, really. It was just each other. That fact still put a warm feeling in Mao Mao, even after all this time. 

“Hey, whatcha thinkin’ about?” 

Badgerclops’ voice from behind him reminded Mao Mao that he’d been quiet for the entire duration of their ride back home. Considering what a rare occasion that was, it was no wonder that his partner was looking to find out just what was going on in his head.   
  
“Just the future,” he responded, carefully running his thumb over the aerocycle’s right handle. “Thinking about the big day coming up.”   
  
“Oh heck yeah, burrito night is Wednesday! I remember because you promised it to me, and if you go back on that promise, I  _ will  _ cry!” 

Mao Mao would’ve pinched the bridge of his nose, if doing so weren’t such a breach of safety precautions at the moment. “First of all, I’m an honorable hero and never go back on my word. Secondly, think of a bigger day.”   
  
“I literally don’t know what could possibly be bigger than burritos, but okay.”   
  
Again, Mao Mao had to make a conscious effort to keep his irritation in check. He knew full well that Badgerclops remembered the date of their anniversary just as well as he himself did. He was either playing dumb, or just hungry and really fixating on burritos. Either way, it didn’t make sense to keep pushing the issue. It was probably best to drop it for now. 

“Forget it,” the cat said with a sigh, “let’s just get back home and make sure that Adorabat didn’t try to get into your power tools again.”   
  
“Heh, yeah. I should lock those things up or something. She almost lost an eye last time!” Badgerclops gave a little chuckle at the memory. “It’s a good thing she didn’t, because having one eye is just supposed to be my thing and I really don’t wanna have to share that with anyone, y’know?” 

“I’m ignoring that last bit. Anyway, did you ever ask why she wanted to stay behind? Usually she’s so eager to go to the store with us.”   
  
“Beats me,” Badgerclops responded, shrugging his shoulders. “She said something about having plans with Chubbum and some nasty bugs.” 

That sounded far from promising. That was enough to give Mao Mao a hunch that some inevitable hi-jinx were afoot. It was probably best to speak to her as soon as they got back, just to quell any antics that were brewing. He was in no mood for antics, especially not ones that involved Chubbum. 

* * *

As it turned out, Mao Mao didn’t need to go looking for Adorabat to find out what sort of antics she was up to. They were already in motion when they arrived back at headquarters. 

From the moment he and Badgerclops climbed up from the garage into the main building, it was clear something was off. The entire place was dark, with the only light being a soft, flickering coming from the doorway into the kitchen.    
  
_ Oh, yes, _ Mao Mao thought to himself,  _ there are most certainly shenanigans occurring in this place.  _

“The lights were on when we left, weren’t they?” he asked Badgerclops, his voice a hushed whisper. 

“Uhh...maybe?” 

Mao Mao gave a frustrated little growl as he looked around the immediate area, scanning it for anything amiss. “Oh for the love of — they  _ were  _ on! That means either Adorabat is up to something, or there’s somebody else here!”   
  
Finally, it seemed to sink in. Badgerclops’ eye opened in realization as he gave a soft  _ “Ohhhh,”  _ in response. “D’you think she’s practicing trap building again? That rope net thing she caught me in last month was seriously messed up, man!”   
  
“Shh! It’s quite possible,” Mao Mao hissed, unsheathing his sword and beginning to creep towards the kitchen. “Come on, be on your guard.”   
  
He could hear the sound of an arm cannon warming up from behind him. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”   
  
The two approached the doorway silently, flanking it from both sides. They shared a look and a nod before leaping into action. Both of them burst forth into the room, brandishing their respective weapons as they took in the scene before them. 

“Sheriff’s department!” Mao Mao cried, Geraldine pointed in the direction of the table. “Identify yourself at once, before we—!”   
  
His shouting trailed off as soon as it had begun, though. Instead of an ambush from any sort of legitimate threat, they were faced with none other than Chubbum standing on their table. He smiled at them, a dilapidated old violin held in one of his hands. The other gave the pair a wave, seeming entirely unaware of just what an oddity it was for him to be standing in their kitchen.   
  
“Ugh, it’s only Chubbum,” Mao Mao snorted derisively, returning Geraldine to her sheathe.   
Badgerclops was comparatively less relaxed about that revelation. “Yeah, that’s so messed up!” His left hand remained on the base of his arm cannon, keeping his aim trained on the Sweetypie. “Just gimme the word, Mao! I’ve got the shot!”   
  
“Yeah, no, that’s enough of that.” Mao Mao reached over, lowering Badgerclops’ arm with one hand before turning his attention back to Chubbum. “Alright you little intruder, give me one good reason that I shouldn’t write you up for forced entry into a private residence.”   
  
The frog blinked a bit in response, looking between Mao Mao and Badgerclops with an unassuming smile. “Is this my cue? Do I start with the slow songs? The energetic ones? Adorabat said to go when the moment was right!”   
  
“Okay, Adorabat isn’t even  _ here _ right now!” Badgerclops said, sounding supremely irritated as he finally deactivated his arm cannon and returned it to its default form. “So don’t you dare try to implicate her in whatever sort of weird—”   
  
_ “Surprise!”  _

Adorabat suddenly flew in behind them with a cry so shrill that Badgerclops shrieked as well, hopping up in fear and landing in Mao Mao’s arms. Mao Mao would’ve been more surprised himself, if not for his superior detective skills and infinite perception that allowed him to foresee something like this happening. He caught Badgerclops without complaint, only groaning slightly as he turned to his young protégée.    
  
“Adorabat, explain what’s going on,” he commanded, eyes narrowed as he gently lowered his boyfriend to the floor.   
  
“It’s a surprise! For you two!” Adorabat’s excited grin didn’t fade as she flew past the two, perching down on the table beside Chubbum. “Just look! I made a super special night for you two because I wanted your anniversary to be special!” 

She spread her wings out wide to either side of her, gesturing to the work she’d done while the other two were away. True to her word, there was a lot done that Mao Mao hadn’t even noticed when he and Badgerclops had first come in. 

The hazy, flickering lighting was the result of a beat-up looking silver candelabra with three candles in it sitting on the center of the table. There was a pair of plates, one sitting on each side of the table. Both were covered with insects, all manner of cockroaches and beetles crawling around on the white porcelain.   
  
“It’s a candlelit dinner for two!” Adorabat elaborated, her eyes twinkling. “I found all the yummiest looking bugs I could find, I took this pretty candle hand thing from the dump, and Chubbum is here to serenade you with accompaniment from his violin!”   
  
“I was knighted by King Snugglemagne for my contribution to the arts!” Chubbum added, just as excited as his co-conspirator in this little plot. 

“Dude, I think I’m gonna be sick,” Badgerclops whispered to his boyfriend, grimacing as he watched one fat little roach fall from a plate onto the table. 

Mao Mao was similarly disenchanted. “Adorabat, how did you even know about the anniversary?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he stepped up to the little bat on the table. “We’ve never mentioned the date to you!” 

“Oh, that part was easy!” Adorabat exclaimed. “I just read in your diary about how you’ve been thinking about it for the past few weeks!”   
  
Mao Mao blanched a bit in response. “Wait, you read my —  **THOSE ARE MY PRIVATE THOUGHTS!”** _  
_ _  
_ “Aww, man, you’ve been thinking about it for weeks?” Badgerclops swooned from behind him.   
  
Mao Mao spun on his heel, turning towards his boyfriend with a glare and a snarl.  **“YES I HAVE BEEN, BECAUSE I CHERISH YOU AND OUR RELATIONSHIP!”**

That notion seemed to delight Badgerclops, who giggled impishly and blushed. He turned away and shook his head, apparently thrilled beyond words. It was adorable, but Mao Mao was dealing with a bigger problem right now. There was still the issue of explaining to Adorabat that this wasn’t how they were going to be celebrating their anniversary. It needed to be handled deftly, though. 

He took a deep breath to calm himself before anything else, squeezing his eyes shut and inhaling through his nose. Soothing thoughts were forced through his mind as he held the breath for a few moments before giving a big, exaggerated exhale through his mouth. Perfect. Now he was in the right headspace to deliver this crushing news. 

“Adorabat,” he began carefully, “this is a lovely looking evening, but we are  _ not  _ doing this.” 

Predictably, Adorabat’s beaming face fell instantly. “But...wha?” 

“Yeah, no offense or anything, but we’ve had the same plans for years,” Badgerclops explained, walking up beside Mao Mao. “It’s like, a tradition. We’ve always done it, and we’re just gonna keep doing it because change is scary.” 

Not the most delicate way of putting it, but that was a satisfactory summary. Mao Mao gave a little nod and a smile to his partner, reaching over to take his hand in his. 

“So what is it you two do, then?” Adorabat asked. 

“Well, back when we first got together, we didn’t have much,” Mao Mao began to explain. 

“Pfft, we didn’t have anything but a lame tent!” Badgerclops replied with a snort. “I wanted diamonds, but he couldn’t even afford rhinestones.” 

Mao Mao shook his head fondly. “We had to make do with what he had. Instead of any big gifts or outings, we would just keep it simple. We’d wait for a clear night, step out of the tent, and just...watch the stars together.” 

With that explanation, Adorabat’s face fell even further. She suddenly looked quite crestfallen. “Oh, gee. Now all this just feels a lil silly, huh?” 

“Yeah, it’s all kind of—” Badgerclops’ words were cut off by a grunt as Mao Mao discreetly jabbed an elbow into his side.   
  
“You put together a wonderful looking night,” the cat said, reaching up to pat Adorabat’s head. “Maybe just...for a different couple.  _ Right,  _ Badgerclops?” 

“Ugh, yeah, sure.” Badgerclops rubbed the spot where he’d been struck, pouting to himself. “Some couple who likes bugs woulda loved it.” 

“Exactly. Now then, let’s get this cleaned up. Maybe you can still bring the candelabra with us when we go out to find a good stargazing spot.” 

Adorabat perked up again at that. “Wait, does that mean…?” 

“Oh yes, of course you’re coming with us,” Mao Mao assured her with a grin. “You’re one of us now, after all.” 

Adorabat’s wide, starry eyes shone even brighter. Even if he’d never admit it, Mao Mao’s heart did a little flip at the sight.   
“Oh, oh, hey, am I invited too?” Chubbum suddenly piped up, eagerly hopping from one foot to another.   
The trio shared a look, each of them having forgotten he was even there. 

Badgerclops was the first to break the awkward silence that followed. “Uh, no, definitely not. You have to leave now,” he answered. “Like, right now.” 

“Aww.” The Sweetypie sulked, but did as he was told without putting up a fight. He hopped off the table and sulked off towards the front door. 

“...Right then,” Mao Mao spoke after a brief, but still immensely awkward, silence. “Steel yourselves, everyone. We’ve got some bugs to take care of..” 

It was less of a romantic plan than sitting under the stars with his lover, but he was alright with that. Doing a little impromptu termination with a family was just as good, even if it was in a different way. There were no other two people that Mao Mao would rather be eradicating these tiny foes with, after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks as always to every singly one of you for reading! If ever you'd like to share your thoughts or see what I'm up to, you can always feel free to hit me up over on my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JosephThropp) or [Tumblr!](https://josephthropp.tumblr.com/) Otherwise, I'd be happy to hear from you in a comment, too! Either way, I hope you have a wonderful day!


End file.
